Display-form



(No Model.)

11-0. SEE. DISPLAY FORM.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEWITT 0. SEE, OF MEOHANIOSVILLE, NEW YORK.

DISPLAY-FORM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,455, dated February 23, 1897. Application filed April 9,1896. fierial No. 586,848. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DEWITT 0. SEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mechanicsville, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display-Forms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in display-forms designed for use in shoes of all kinds to hold the shoes distended and present an attractive neat appearance; and the object that I have in view is to provide a simple and inexpensive contrivance which can be readily fitted in orremoved from the shoe and which will hold itself against slipping'or displacement while in the shoe.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for holding the upper part of a high-cut ladys shoe in upright position, which upper-holding means can be turned or folded down against the holding-spring for the form when it is desired to use the form in low shoes, or said holding means can be used in an upright position to sustain a price card or label.

With these ends in view the first part of my invention consists of a form provided with a spring attached at one end to the form and arranged longitudinally along the bottom part thereof, whereby the spring operates to engage with the inner side of the shoe-sole when the form is inserted in the shoe, and said spring tends to press the form upwardly against the vamp and instep of the shoe, so as to hold the leather distended and present a neat appearance.

In the practical embodiment of my invention I provide the longitudinal holding-sprin g with a spur or tooth which takes or embeds itself in the shoe-sole, and the free end of the spring is formed with a finger-piece for easily depressing or raising the spring, as required in adjusting the form in or removing it from the shoe.

My invention further consists in a hollow formhaving yieldable or movable sides, which may be compressed or expanded a limited distance, combined with a distending-spring situated within the rear open end of the yieldable form and operating to normally press the sides thereof away from each other. This spring is preferably bent from wire with duplex coils, the ends of the wire being attached to the sides of the form and the middle looped part of the wire extending above the form to provide an upright shank, which, when the form is fitted in a high-cut ladys shoe, lies or fits in the extended part of the shoe-upper to hold the upper in place.

My invention further consists in the novel combination of devices and construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my improved display-form. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the form. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through my display-form, showing the same in position within a shoe, the latter being indicated by dotted lines.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to which A designates my display-form for use in shoes of all kinds. The body a ofthe form is preferably made hollow and of sheet metal to give to the sides of the form a certain limited amount of movement or play, which permits the form to be compressed somewhat by hand when it is to be placed in the shoe and allows it to expand when fitted in the shoe, so that the form fits snugly in the shoe and serves to hold the same distended.

In making the hollow shell or body of the form A from sheet metal the pieces are cut and bent to the proper form, assembled together in proper relation, and united the one to the other, by soldering or otherwise, to produce a form of suitable shape and dimensions; but I would have it understood that I do not strictly limit myself to the employment of sheet metal in the manufacture of my shoeform, as other materials may be used in makin g the form.

It is evident that the form may be made in a single piece of metal by stamping or pressing the same in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art.

B is the longitudinal holding-spring, which preferably consists of a single piece of metal forming a springof the kind known as a leafspring. This spring 13 has one end (its front end) rigidly fastened in a suitable way to the toe end of the form A, and the spring B extends longitudinally and centrally along the bottom of the hollow body or shell of the form. By arranging the spring under the form and having the spring project below the body at one or more points throughout its length the spring is made to press against the shoesole when the form is thrust into the shoe, so that the reaction and pressure of the spring against the body tend to force the form against the leather of the vamp and instep, and thus keep the shoe distended to present a neat and attractive appearance. The free rear end of this longitudinal spring is, at a point in rear of the form, bent and curved upwardly to form a finger piece or loop Z), which may be easily grasped by the hand to lift the spring or to press the spur or tooth b of the spring into the shoe-sole. This spur or tooth b is produced on the lower side or face of the spring B and at an intermediate point of its 1 length, preferably by punching or striking out the metal and turning it down to project 1 belowthe spring. Said spur ortooth is forced, 1 after the form has been properly and snugly inserted into the shoe, into the sole by press- 1 ing down on the finger-piece of the spring B, and the tooth and spring thus serve to hold the form positively in place within the shoe,

the form is capable of a limited compression or expansion, especially at the rear free end of the shell, and in order to keep the shell or body properly distended I have provided 1 the spring C, which is arranged between the i walls of the shell at or near the open rear end thereof, so as to press the sides or walls nor- 1 mally away from each other.

The preferred 1 construction of this pressure or distending spring C consists of a coiled-wire spring having the extended shank c. The wire is first coiled or twisted at its middle to produce the loop a, and its strands are then carried alongside each other, forming the shank c, after which the strands or members of the wire are coiled two, three, or more times to produce the duplex coils d d, and finally the ends (1 d of the wire are attached, by soldering or in any suitable way, to the opposing inner faces of the walls or sides of the expansible or contractible shell or body a. noted that the duplex coils are arranged within the open rear end of the shell or body and that the axes of said coils are substantially horizontal, whereby the tension of the spring operates to force the walls away from each other within the limits of the flexure of the shell or body.

This being the construction of my displayform, the operation may be briefly described as follows: To use the form in a high-cut ladys shoe, the shank 0 extends or stands It will be upwardly above the form, and the form is compressed somewhat in the hand and the spring B lifted to enable the form to be slipped or thrust into the shoe. The form is inserted well forward into the shoe, and when the body is released from the hand-pressu re the shell or body is expanded to fit snugly up to and against the shoe to hold the latter distended, and the spring B is pressed down to force the spur or prong into the shoe-sole. The spring holds the form in position up against the shoe and the shank 0 extends into the high part of the shoe-upper to hold the same in position, whereby the shoe is held in a properly-distended condition.

If it is desired to use the form in low-cut shoes, the shank 0 may be turned down and held or pressed in engagement with the upper side of the spring B, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, in order that the shank 0 may not be exposed above the shoe when the form is thrust into a low-cut shoe and to enable the spring-shank to impart increased stiffness to the spring B. This shank 0 may, however, assume its upright position when the form is used in a low-out shoe, so as to project above the shoe, and when in this 0011- dition the shank afiords a convenient means for holding a price card or label, which can be inserted and held in the loop 0 at the upper end of the shank c. The operation of inserting the form in a low-cut shoe is similar to the described operation of adjusting the form in the high-cut shoe and need not be further described.

Of course the shoe-forms may be made in different sizes and shapes to suit the style and size of shoes in which they are to be used, and the details of construction and the form and proportion of parts may be changed by the skilled mechanic without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention. I therefore hold myself at liberty to make such modifications as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new article of manufacture, a display-form comprising a body, and the elastic spring arranged longitudinally under the body and having a holding tooth or spur at an intermediate point of its length, the front end of said spring attached to the toe portion of the bodyand the rear end thereof having a finger-piece Which extends beyond said body, for the purposes described, substantially as set forth.

2. A display-form comprising a yieldable or expansible shell-like body open at its rear end and a distending or pressure spring situated within the open rear end of the body and attached to the sides or walls thereof, said spring having the upright shank, as and for the purposes described.

3. A display-form comprising a yieldablo or expansible body and a pressure or distending spring connected with said body and pro- IIO 1o poses described.

5. In a display-form, the combination with a body, of a holding-spring, and a distending-spring which carries a foldable arm arranged to be reversed and bear or press against the holding-spring, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses v DEWITT 0. SEE. Witnesses:

H. I; BERNHARD, W. CLARENCE DUVALL. 

